Why this blogger’s been MIA

Affordable housing need not be ugly. With land use policies favoring dense, mixed-use development and the relative cost savings of upward construction, design is coming more into play with these low-income units. (PHOTO: 555yvr.com/SFGate.com)

Why have I been absent? To put a long story short, I’ve been writing a lengthy paper on affordable housing and the implications of land use policy on its implementation. Take a look at the article on Scribd (or click after the break for a preview) for an interesting read. With Spokane’s visible homeless population, it’s clear that the current housing model in the area is not working. Perhaps some of our land use regulations and ordinances are to blame.

Read more after the break.

Land use policy is an innovative and creative way to solve these types of problems, because often doing so can attack the root of the issue: developers’ unwillingness to build affordable units. Take a look, and read about the possible solutions (inclusionary zoning, mixed-income housing, and infill development) and barriers to their implementation. It would be interesting to see how a debate over inclusionary zoning would play out in Spokane. What do you think? Post your thoughts in the comments.